The Macau government has announced that the SAR will enter a new “stabilization period” for the next week, assuming no community cases of COVID-19 are detected over the weekend. It will then “return to normal” as per the situation prior to Macau’s 18 June outbreak.
Macau Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng gave instructions on Friday that the city’s “consolidation period” would be extended for another three days from 30 July to 1 August, during which shopping malls are allowed to partially open and residents no longer required to wear KN95 masks when going out.
At a press conference on Friday, Director of Macau’s Health Bureau, Alvis Lo, said, “If there are no cases in [the weekend’s citywide] test, Macau will enter a stabilization week from 2 August.
“It is not necessary to conduct a RAT test during the stabilization period, but [guests will need] to show proof of a 72-hour NAT test when entering premises where masks cannot be worn. If there are no cases during the stabilization period, Macau will return to the pre-18 June situation.”
The question for gaming and tourism operators, however, is when border control measures between Macau and mainland China will also return to pre-18 June status, with government officials stating there were no immediate plans to change such measures.